PA PA - Charley Ross, 4, Germantown, 1 July 1874

[Mysteries1974]

Is this where the name Charley Project came from?

Yes - FAQ – The Charley Project

 

[ColyH]

I always wondered if the reason the two kidnappers kept backing out of the meeting to exchange Charley for the ransom money was that they accidentally killed Charley and they were stalling for time so they could figure out their next step.

 

[Richard]

Little Charley Ross

The first known kidnapping for ransom in the United States occurred on July 1, 1874. Four-year-old Charley Ross was playing in his front yard with his brother Walter when a carriage approached.

The driver offered them candy and fireworks to lure them into the carriage. When they went to purchase the fireworks, the driver abandoned Walter and drove away with Charley still in the carriage.

Soon, Charley’s parents started receiving letters demanding huge sums of money in exchange for Charley’s safe return. Though he had a large house, Charley’s father was actually in severe debt, so he couldn’t afford the ransom. He contacted the police, but their attempts to find Charley were unsuccessful.

It wasn’t until the police investigated another alleged kidnapping plot later in the year that they were able to identify two suspects.

An informant stated that in April, 1874, William Mosher and Joseph Douglas, alias Clark, endeavored to persuade him to participate in the kidnapping of one of the Vanderbilt children while the child was playing on the lawn surrounding the family residence at Throgsneck, Long Island. The child was to be held until a ransom of $50,000 was obtained, and the informant’s part of the plot would be to take the child on a small launch and keep it in seclusion until the money was received, but he declined to enter into the conspiracy.

When they found a ransom note relating to the Vanderbilt kidnapping they were able to match the handwriting to that from the Charley Ross kidnapping. The handwriting matched that of a fugitive named William Mosher. He had died in a burglary in Brooklyn earlier that year, but his crime partner, Joseph Douglas, admitted that Mosher was the abductor of Charley Ross. Douglas claimed that only Mosher knew where Charley was. He also said Charley would be returned safely a few days later. However, he never was.

Charley’s father spent $60,000 in his search for his son. Several impostors came forward throughout the years claiming to be Charley. Charley’s father died in 1897 having never found Charley. His mother passed away in 1912, and his brother, Walter, died in 1943.

LINKS:

The Kidnapping of Little Charley Ross, 1874 - HistoricalCrimeDetective.com

Charley Ross - Crime Museum

 

[Gardener1850]

Unidentified human remains have been found behind the Cope House on the grounds of the Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown: PA - PA - East Germantown/Philadelphia, Human skull & bones in sack, buried Awbury Arboretum, 30 Sep 2019

There are no details on the remains yet (age, gender, etc) but the Arboretum grounds border the same street where the Ross family reportedly lived in 1874 (East Washington Lane): Google Maps
The Cope House was built in 1860 so it was there at the time Charley disappeared. Of course there are many missing from Philadelphia this could be, but wouldn't it be wonderful if such an old mystery were finally solved?

MOO.

 

[Richard]

Charley Brewster Ross kidnapped 1874

This July will mark 146 years since Little Charley Ross was kidnapped.

 

[Richard]

Unidentified human remains have been found behind the Cope House on the grounds of the Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown: PA - PA - East Germantown/Philadelphia, Human skull & bones in sack, buried Awbury Arboretum, 30 Sep 2019

There are no details on the remains yet (age, gender, etc) but the Arboretum grounds border the same street where the Ross family reportedly lived in 1874 (East Washington Lane): Google Maps
The Cope House was built in 1860 so it was there at the time Charley disappeared. Of course there are many missing from Philadelphia this could be, but wouldn't it be wonderful if such an old mystery were finally solved?

MOO.

No updates yet on this story. One would think that experts could say whether the bones were male of female, child or adult, and recent or ancient. But nothing beyond this "flash-in-the-pan" news story.

 

[JudgeJoe]

This is fascinating. I am just learning about Charley and that he is the name behind the Charley Project.

With the old photos of Charley, I would think experts could run those through facial recognition, comparing to vintage portraits from ancestry sites to see if he ever grew up. Perhaps adopted out when ransom wasn’t paid.

Could also run dna from the brother’s line to possibly find close match lineage that would indicate Charley grew up & had kids of his own. Could potentially solve the mystery of who took him. Ancestry dna possibilities are vast- you never know! If they murdered him, there’d be nothing, but if not... wow!

 

[Richard]

1 July 2024 will mark the 150th year anniversary of the abduction of Little Charley Ross. He is still missing.

 

[ifindedout]

Unidentified human remains have been found behind the Cope House on the grounds of the Awbury Arboretum in East Germantown: PA - PA - East Germantown/Philadelphia, Human skull & bones in sack, buried Awbury Arboretum, 30 Sep 2019

There are no details on the remains yet (age, gender, etc) but the Arboretum grounds border the same street where the Ross family reportedly lived in 1874 (East Washington Lane): Google Maps
The Cope House was built in 1860 so it was there at the time Charley disappeared. Of course there are many missing from Philadelphia this could be, but wouldn't it be wonderful if such an old mystery were finally solved?

MOO.

Updating: The remains were not those of Charley. They belonged to a 22-year-old man named Rashid Young, who was murdered on August 19, 2019 in Pottstown. The 20-year-old perpetrator was found guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to 12½ to 30 years in state prison.

GUILTY - PA - Germantown/Philadelphia, skull & bones in sack, buried at Awbury Arboretum, Sep'19 - Rashid Young *Arrest*

It would be great if it was Charley Ross but as said before this find seems like it was put there not long ago.

www.websleuths.com

ETA: May Charley's fate be solved or his remains found. Philly won't forget you, Charley, and neither will Websleuths.